Jehovah Rapha: God our Healer

Week Four Lesson

God the Healer…one of God’s most called upon names, I’m sure! We will learn much about another marvelous name of God this week. But I don’t want to mislead you. Our lesson will not provide any definitive answers on why it seems God sometimes answers healing prayers and sometimes doesn’t. But what I can promise you is that we will take an amazing journey together as we seek to understand God’s healing power. We have much to cover this week, so let’s begin!

Below is our Week Four message:

Memory Verse: “I am the Lord, who heals you.” Exodus 15:26 (NIV)

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, God Our Healer, reveal the Truth of this part of who You are to me. I’ve experienced unanswered healing prayers; because of that, I have questions. I have doubts sometimes. Teach me. Challenge my simple faith to go deeper and ask hard questions. Reveal new truths to me and grant me the wisdom and knowledge to understand them. Thank You that You are forever with me…that even when I feel confused, alone and forgotten, You promise to go before me, walk alongside me and be my rear guard. There is nowhere I can go that You are not. Help me to experience Your amazing healing power as I go through this study. Teach me how to cast my burden on You and allow You to sustain me as I wait on You. Help me to quiet my heart and still my mind. Enable me to rest in You. Help me to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. I ask all this in Jesus’ powerful and effective name. Amen

Homework:

WEDNESDAY

1. Read Exodus 14:15-31.

This passage shares one of God’s greatest miracles! God’s people stood in awe as God blew His breath over the waters and caused them to divide and turn into two walls of congealed liquid. One commentator wrote when the Israelites stepped forward in faith, they walked safely on dry ground between two walls of ice. Once they arrived on the other side, they watched as rushing waters swallowed hundreds and hundreds of Egyptian chariots, chariot drivers and soldiers and then watched again as their bodies washed up on the shore.

a. Read Exodus 15:1-21. What did the people do next?

Then Moses led the people into the desert. They traveled for three days without finding any water.

b. Read Exodus 15:22-23. What happened when the Israelites finally found water? What did they call that place?

The grumbling Israelites turned their anger and frustration toward Moses. Moses cried out to God. And as He always did, God provided…but in an unusual way.

c. How did God provide? (v. 25) Why do you think He chose this method?

Why use a piece of wood? Matthew Henry proposed this piece of wood was a “type” of the cross of Christ…a foreshadowing. Just as the cross sweetens the bitter waters of affliction and brings salvation to all who stand at its foot and believe, the wood Moses used sweetened the water, thus satisfying their thirst and saving their lives.

2. In the next few verses, God set forth a decree as a standard to test their faithfulness.

a. Read Exodus 15:26. What was the standard God set forth in the first half of the verse?

The NIV and the King James use the word “diseases.”

b. What are God’s last few words in the decree?

God revealed Himself to His people in a name. With that name came a promise. He promised to be the Lord Who Heals them. But this promise contained a condition.

c. What was God’s condition?

God set forth expectations for His people:

* Listen carefully to the voice of the Lord

* Do what is right in His eyes

* Pay attention to His commands

* Keep all His decrees

d. Where did God lead them after He issued this decree? (Exodus 15:27) What did the people find there?

3. Does bitterness fill your heart today? Do you need refreshing? Share what is on your heart below.

Sweet friend, Jehovah Rapha, God your Healer is waiting for you to come to Him with what is on your heart. He wants to bring healing to your circumstances, your relationships, your hurt, and your pain. Open His Word so that He can touch your heart with a “piece of wood”…a piece of the cross…a piece of His grace-filled heart. And when you read His Word, listen carefully…do what is right in His eyes…obey what you hear. When you do, His sweet springs of living water will flow into the bitter waters of your heart and bring hope and healing.

THURSDAY

4. Let’s dig into a bit of background before we jump into our lesson on King Hezekiah. Read 2 Kings 15:32-16:20.

Hezekiah’s deep trust in the Lord distinguished him from other kings. His great-grandfather (King Uzziah) and grandfather (King Jotham) left him a strong legacy. They were wise and godly men who brought great prosperity to Judah and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But Hezekiah’s father (Ahaz) was a wicked king who totally rejected the ways of God. He followed the evil practices of the pagan nations around him. He was a complete failure as a king and left Hezekiah a broken and shattered nation.

Hezekiah knew his nation’s physical deterioration stemmed from their spiritual deterioration. So he initiated a time of great reformation and restoration. He purified the temple. He reinstated temple sacrifices. And God was pleased with Hezekiah because he knew that for his nation to prosper, it had to first reconcile itself with God. If you want to read more about King Hezekiah’s reign, read 2 Chronicles 29.

a. Read Proverbs 14:34. What does it say? What does this mean to you?

b. Read 2 Chronicles 30:1-12. What did King Hezekiah do next?

In the midst of of this restoration, Assyria invaded Judah. Initially Hezekiah panicked and made some critical mistakes in response to the invasion. But he corrected that quickly, thereby angering the King of Assyria. He mocked and ridiculed Hezekiah’s God in a letter, telling him his God was weak and not trustworthy.

c. Read 2 Kings 19:14-19. What was King Hezekiah’s response this time?

d. What did he pray?

I love this prayer. It reflects Hezekiah’s beautiful heart of humility.

5. Read 2 Kings 20:1-2.

Here is where we meet God the Healer. We find him in the rest of King Hezekiah’s story. Just after the Lord rescued Hezekiah and his people from the Assyrians, Hezekiah became deathly ill. The prophet, Isaiah, gave the king only days to live. He told Hezekiah to “put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” (2 Kings 20:1, NIV 1984).

a. What did King Hezekiah do upon receiving word of his illness? (v. 2)

b. Read 2 Kings 20:3. What did Hezekiah pray?

c. At the end of his prayer, what did he do? What does this tell you about his heart?

d. Read James 5:16b. What does James say in this verse? How does the relate to King Hezekiah?

e. Read 2 Kings 20:5-6. What specifically did Isaiah tell King Hezekiah about his healing in verse 6?

f. How did God heal Hezekiah? (v. 7) Why do you think He used figs? What lesson do you glean from this?

Maybe using the figs was God’s way of showing us that medicine is “of God.” God could have performed a miraculous healing, but He didn’t. He chose to use figs. Did God want to teach us that going to a doctor is not evidence of disbelief? And that when a doctor heals, it’s still God at work healing in and through another’s hands.

FRIDAY

Our last two discussions introduced us to Jehovah Rapha and provided great examples of God’s healing power and how it worked in the lives of His people. But now let’s examine what God’s Word specifically says about His will on this matter of healing. “Healer” as used in the Old Testament is a translation of the Hebrew Word Rapha which means “to mend, to cure, to heal, to thoroughly make whole,” and it refers to God as the One doing the healing.

6. Read Proverbs 4:20-22.

a. What are God’s instructions?

b. What happens when we follow His instructions?

7. Read Isaiah 53.

a. Who is the Servant? (see Isaiah 52:13-15)

Friend, grasp the significance of this passage. Seven hundred years before Christ appeared, Isaiah prophesied not only Christ’s coming but also what His coming would mean for His people.

b. Read Isaiah 53:2-3. How does Isaiah describe the Servant?

c. Read Isaiah 53:4-5. What does Isaiah teach us in this passage about our Savior?

Many debate over what exactly was “covered” by the Servant’s death on the cross. Is it only inner (spiritual) healing? Or does it extend to outer (physical) healing as well? As we proceed, ask God for wisdom and discernment to speak what He has to teach you on this topic.

The NIV 1984 says “[Jesus] took up our pain and bore our suffering.” The King James says, “[Jesus] hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” The issue confronting us us what the words “pain,” “suffering,” “griefs,” and “sorrows’ mean. “Griefs” translates from the Hebrew word choliy which means “sickness and disease.” “Sorrows” translates from the Hebrew word makob which means “affliction” and “pain.”

Jesus’ disciple Matthew, gives us further insight into Isaiah 53:4 in Matthew 8:16-17.

8. Read Matthew 8:16-17.

a. What does this verse say?

b. What does this language imply about what Isaiah 53:4 says with regard to healing?

What we do know from Isaiah’s words is that by dying on the cross, Jesus took on our sickness and disease. He bore them in His own perfect body..a body that had been free of sin, sickness and disease since before time began.

Sweet friend, never ever forget that! Such a heavy load for our Father in Heaven and for His Son. God sent His only Son to die on the cross for our healing. That healing comes first in the form of spiritual healing…the forgiveness of sins. Because of Jesus, we are no longer bound by sin and death. We become children of God who can walk confidently in the righteousness of Christ with the hope and promise of everlasting life!

But I believe God’s Word also teaches us Jesus died for our physical healing. Jesus healed physically in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. God’s Word clearly teaches that God’s character never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Therefore, we can conclude with great assurance that we are to pray not only for spiritual healing but also for physical healing.

SATURDAY

The pages of the New Testament are filled with incredible stories recounting Jesus’ miraculous healings. Choosing which ones to share took hours! Each one contains its own unique lesson. But choose I must, so let’s begin.

Before we jump into the stories themselves, let’s travel back with Luke to the time Jesus met Satan in the wilderness. Jesus’ temptation came not long after John the Baptist had baptized Him.

9. Read Matthew 3:13-17 and Luke 3:21-22.

a. Share what happened in these two passages.

b. Read Luke 4:1-2. What happened to Jesus just after He was baptized?

c. Why do you think God led Jesus into the wilderness immediately after His baptism?

d. Read Luke 4:3-13. How did Jesus reply to each of the three temptations of Satan?

Jesus overcame each temptation with a few powerful, Holy Spirit filled words. This is a huge lesson for us, my friend. We must not fight Satan in our own strength, with our own words. We must fight Him with God’s strength, with God’s Words. Dr. David Jeremiah writes this in one of his daily devotions: “When we accept the Word of God, it ultimately affects our decisions, our walk, and our entire life. It provides rules when we don’t know where the guardrails are. And it’s a fountainhead of strength when we’re overcome by fear or weakness.”

e. Read Luke 4:14. What does Luke tells us happened just after the time of Jesus’ temptation?

These words are incredibly significant to the rest of our lesson as we get to know Jesus as the Great Physician. God led Jesus into the wilderness with a fresh filling of His Spirit. Jesus came out of the wilderness full of the Holy Spirit’s power!

10. Read Luke 5:12-15.

a. How did the leper approach Jesus (v.12)? What does this reveal about his heart?

b. Why do you suppose the leper said, “If you are willing?”

Friend, the leper knew Jesus was able, but he doubted if Jesus would actually heal Him. How often do we speak the same words? Tucked inside the leper’s words is really the question Am I worthy of Your healing? Or Is my healing a part of Your purpose and plan for me?

c. How did Jesus respond in Luke 5:13?

Don’t you love this? Jesus, in his sinlessness and holiness, touched the untouchable! He reached out and restored the leper to wholeness. Jesus did not have to touch the leper to heal Him because by His Word alone He could heal. But He touched this leper to meet a deeper need…his need for love and affection. Jesus’ touch healed the man’s heart, and His Word healed the man’s disease.

d. Do you have a rotting place in your life that you cannot share with another single soul? A place of shame? Guilt? Unforgiveness? Addiction? Bitterness? Prejudice? We all have a place…a place so ugly that if someone knew, they might reject us or judge us. Don’t remain in that stinkin’ rotten place, sweet friend. Jehovah Rapha offers us the same source of cleansing and healing that He offered the leper. That source is JESUS! He is waiting for you to come to Him.

SUNDAY

Amazing faith. Who has it? What is it?

In Luke Chapter 7, Jesus defines amazing faith. After Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He entered the city of Capernaum. Interestingly, Jesus performed many of His miracles in that city. Luke opens Chapter 7 introducing us to a Roman centurion. We never learn his name. All Luke tells us is that he is a centurion in the Roman army, meaning he commanded a century (group of 100 soldiers). Jews normally hated Roman soldiers, but this one they loved and respected. Why? Because, although Roman and a Gentile, he distinguished himself from all the other soldiers. He lived his life differently. He valued and respected this community of God’s people and had even built their local synagogue. This centurion had a servant who had become very sick. He had heard of Jesus and His miraculous healing powers, so he sent for Jesus. The elders immediately went to Jesus and pleaded with Him on the centurion’s behalf.

11. Read Luke 7:1-5.

a. What did the elders say to Jesus?

b. What was Jesus’ response? (v. 6)

c. What do you think Jesus heard about this man from the elders that made Him respond in this way?

One thing we cannot miss, my friend, is how this man valued his servant. In biblical times, slaves were of little value. If one became weak or ill, most owners would discard them and buy another. But not this centurion. Scripture says this servant’s master “highly valued” him. These words translate from the Greek word entimos, meaning “honored…precious…dear.”

Oh, friend, our Master highly values His servants…you and me. We are precious in His sight. Just as the centurion valued his servant, Christ values us.

d. Read Luke 7:6-8. What three character traits stood out to you as you read the centurion’s words to Jesus?

We learn three lessons about what Jesus looks for in a heart:

*Great character

e. What words and actions in this story reveal the centurion’s good character?

*Great humility

f. What words reveal his humility? (v. 7)

*Great faith

g. What words reveal his faith? (v. 7-8)

The centurion’s words really said to Jesus, I know who I am, and people under my authority do what I say; therefore, because You are who You are, if You speak a word, it will be done. Even if the centurion didn’t understand everything about Jesus, He did have a clear understanding of His authority and what that authority meant and carried with it. He knew that when Jesus spoke, His Word came to be.

This, sweet friend, is the kind of faith God desires.

h. When Jesus turned to the crowd, what emotion did He feel and what did He say? (v. 9)

“Amazed” translated in the Greek here is thaumazo, meaning “to wonder, marvel and admire.” I don’t often think of Jesus being amazed, especially at me. How can the God of the Universe ever be amazed by us? But He can be…He wants to be.

Oh, how I want to be a woman whose faith amazes God! What about you?

Take time to review your lesson and prayerfully answer the questions below based on what you have learned from God’s Word and what God has spoken to your heart through your time with Him?

* Who is Jehova Rapha?

* Why should I care?

We close our journey with the names of God this week. And it has been my joy and delight to study God’s Word with you. You have so many places you could invest your time and energy and you choose to be here. It means more than you will ever know! I treasure each and every one of you.

To celebrate our time together, I would like to do a giveaway for next week. First, I will give away a copy of my book Hidden Joy in honor of God’s name Jehovah Rapha. Second, I will give away two sets of 12 postcards pictured below made by one of our own, Heather Bleier! Don’t you love how she intricately weaved the names of God into the word “LOVE?” She created them as a surprise and a gift for us. Thank you, Heather. We are so thankful for you!!

And please stop back by next week for a closing message about our last name of God…one so fitting for this season…Emmanuel!

From the comments left this week, I will choose 3 names to win either the book or a set of 12 cards from Heather. I can’t wait to hear what God teaches you this week about Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer.

Comments

I am so enjoying this study – I really look forward to your video messages, Wendy! The guidelines for prayer that you shared today are so simple yet so inspiring. I find I struggle with the very first one – just telling God what I need. Thank you for sharing these steps to prayer!

Jeanne, thank you for taking time to stop by and share how the prayer guidelines encouraged you! You are not alone in struggling with number one. But our Father wants us to come to Him; He calls us to come to Him with our burdens. We just need to be reminded!

I think too many Christians accept pain as God’s will for them. God can use pain for His own good purposes but we should stand firmly in His Word that we were healed by His sacrifice on the cross. I have been healed many times by rebuking the problem and reminding God of His Word. He also heals through doctors and medicine. He has provided Zoloft to relieve me of depression. I prayed for healing, but after months of crying-I accepted the healing He provided through meds. My favorite healing was when there was a mission trip to Honduras and I said to God,”If my back didn’t hurt so much, I would go on the trip.” The next day, I woke with no pain and haven’t had any for 8 years. I said to my family,”Now I have to go for sure!” So I went and was able to hike up hills with supplies, climb ladders to paint, and shovel dirt. God is always good.

Thank you for this message Wendy!! You asked about our personal stories…this past summer as my grandma walked through the final stages of cancer I prayed for her healing, but my kids prayed with even more faith. They asked Him not to let G’ma die, they knew God could heal her, and they believed in His power. I believed that too, but as the end came closer and closer, God led me to talk with them about His sovereignty. As I talked with them He talked to me. He encouraged me to believe and hang onto the Truths I was sharing with my kids…that He is good, He is present and He has a plan. One of the last times I drove away from visiting with my grandma I heard Kutless’ “Even If the Healing Never Comes” and was reminded that He is the great and mighty One with a plan that is better than mine. Does that make death, pain, suffering easy? No! But the reminder that He is a good and faithful God brings peace and gives hope.

Thank you for sharing this song. Our worship leaders in our Charlotte Bible study sang this song live for us, and it was beautiful. It moved us all to tears. God is great and mighty, and His plan is better than ours. And we can trust that plan all the time because He is faithful and worthy of our trust!

I know you will miss your sweet grandmother this Christmas. First holidays are always hard. I pray God will meet you in your grief and bring you great comfort.

Jill, you made so many points that stood out to me. I love how our kids pray with such belief. It wasn’t until I became a mom and heard my little girl’s prayers, that I really understood what “childlike faith” was and why God would want us to have it. I am so moved by the way you grew closer to God even though His healing didn’t look the way you thought it would. You are precious… the apple of God’s eye… and I’m so blessed to have you in my life!

Like Wendy, I pray for God’s unceasing comfort to wrap around you and fully encompass you and your family this Christmas. Love you my friend!

Yes, God does heal us today, just as he did when he walked the earth. He has healed me of Bursitis
and Rhuemotoid Arthritis, and my son of second degree burns. All the healings were miraculous and
instantly.
When the nurse bandaged my son’s burn, she did it wrong and when they removed the bandage it
ripped off all his skin until it was red and raw. This was on a Saturday; on Monday when we returned
to the doctor, his skin was all back with even the natural coloring, no scar, only a slight little area the
size of your thumbnail. The doctor couldn’t believe and kept asking me over and over when it happened.
God is truly who he says he is, ” the Lord our God who healeth us!” ” By his stripes we are healed.”
He is worthy of our praise!

Wow! Alice what amazing healing stories. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am praising Him to the heavens for what He has done in your life and the life of your son!! And I love that He used that healing to show off to the doctor!!! Thank you for sharing.

Dear Alice, thank you for showing the doctor who the Ultimate Physician is! I have many friends who are physicians… most of whom are not believers. It’s Christ-loving and Christ-honoring people like you who God is using to chip away at their science-ruled hearts! Lord, let this one particular doctor be drawn into an intimate relationship… a saving relationship with You if he doesn’t already have one. If he does, draw him even closer today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

To answer to today’s lesson question three, I have a story I must tell because I found bitterness in my heart.

As a child, I never got along with my mother because she just did not understand why I was different. In looks, in skin color, in preference, in dress code, in educational abilities, and everything else, I am different. This difference wedged a hole between me and my family and I never felt accepted for who I was.

At the age of 13 I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle, a decision my mother regrets to this day. I was maltreated and abused for over 18 years. In wanting to escape such abuse, I married a man whom I believed at that time understood my pain. He, instead caused more pain to my heart that made me hurt for years. But God in his infinite love and mercy saw my pain, heard my prayer and brought me out. I was able to leave with my two children to start life away from aches and pains.
But the pain followed me on to my new life. I went through counselling and for the first time I understood how lonely I felt.

Just recently, I started feeling sick again because for the first time in years I dug deeper into the source of my pain. And that was I felt rejected even as a child because I was different. But this time the pain was so severe that my doctor called for tests to see what was wrong with my heart. And for the first time in my 43 years I was able to understand why I had irregular heartbeats since I was 13. I was hurting from rejection and loneliness.

But thank God for the lesson today that tells me about God being Jehovah Rapha, my healer. I have not only been healed from irregular heartbeats but also of the pain of loneliness and rejection. I looked to the tree of life; Moses had cut down and thrown into the bitter waters. I have been a Christian for so many years but never told God what I really needed. I prayed but tried to be modest in my prayers. I committed to God things that were wrong in my life but took them back with me when I left his presence. I trusted God but always anticipated he would reject me.

Today’s lesson opened my eyes to the real me. I see myself as God sees me. I have now come to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; and so camped by the waters.

Lynn, your story makes my heart sing for JOY!! Our God is a most faithful and loving God. He desires to heal our deep hurts…physical and emotional and spiritual. Your story is a living example of His faithfulness. He has had His eye on you from the very first day and has brought you to this amazing place of freedom and peace…to Elim…this beautiful place of abundance. Thank you, thank you for encouraging us with all that God has done for you and your children!

So glad that when I
pray, it’s about Him
& not me. I have to
trust that my Elohim
El Roi, Jehovah Nissi
Who created & sees
me & covers &
protects me is listening
to me when I speak &
is doing what’s best for
me. Ta DA

I recently listened to a conference on Grace To You , and one of the teachers talked about the name Jehovah , they said it is not an original name for God but 2 words made into one about 500 yrs ago. Does anybody know anything about this? I googled it and it said the same thing, I was wandering about anyones opinion of this? I love this study, I was just curious after listening to the teacher.

Thank you for this week’s lesson and all the amazing comments above. I wanted to share a story too.

In 2010-2011 I was living and working in east Africa. In December 2010 I found out I had amoebic cysts. Amoebas are pesky parasites, but the cysts are round balls of them, wanting to jump out and invade, like the invaders inside the Trojan Horse. So those were not fun, but the real problem came with a medicine I was prescribed.

On a Monday morning, my neck began getting stiff and I could only look one direction, and I felt as though I was ticking. Thankfully, a family that attends our school, the father is a Doctor. I was able to go and meet with him. As time wore on, I began to grind my teeth, clenching my jaw, I felt as if I was unable to speak. I was able to verbalize to the doctor that I felt like I was having a stroke. It was the only thing I could really compare it to. (I found out later it was a rare side effect to the meds—extra-pyramidal side effects),

He gave me some Benadryl, and I lay down, praying the 23rd Psalm over and over again, with nothing else to do about this situation but pray. When I woke up, I woke up rejoicing–the symptoms had ceased. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed and was in awe of God’s healing. My mind couldn’t wrap itself around how awesome our God is.

That night I struggled with panic of the same thing happening again, I would almost fall asleep, then sit up gasping for air as I felt panic come on. This happened for quite some time, until one moment when I felt a hand grasp my hand, Jesus held my hand. What started as a give me my scary moment, changed. HE was there, HE knew the pain I was in. Then he reminded me, through touching my palm, that HE went through much more suffering out of love for ME, and for billions upon billions of people.

Liz, how I love to hear these amazing stories of God’s healing. God used His Word to bring healing to your body and health to your bones and peace to your spirit!! Thank you for sharing. I join you in praising Him for His faithfulness and for the great things He has done for you.

“Do you have a rotting place in your life that you cannot share with another single soul? A place of shame? Guilt? Unforgiveness? Addiction? Bitterness? Prejudice? We all have a place…a place so ugly that if someone knew, they might reject us or judge us. Don’t remain in that stinkin’ rotten place, sweet friend. Jehovah Rapha offers us the same source of cleansing and healing that He offered the leper. That source is JESUS! He is waiting for you to come to Him.”

When I read this, I had to stop the study and I just sat there and wept. You wrote this for me!!!! He is speaking to me!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jane. Thank You for washing her white as snow. Thank You that You would leave 99 to search her out. You knitted her in her Mom’s womb. You know everything about her. You love her! You chose her above all nations! Thank You for her beautiful, Christ-loving heart. Thank You that You have graced all of us with precious Jane through this Bible study. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Huge California hugs to you, Jane! xoxo

Amen and amen to Noelle’s prayer. It’s always so precious to me to hear stories like yours…where God uses specific words He has given me to speak into a life. Jane, you are a direct answer to the prayers I prayed while writing this study!! Thank you for taking the time to share so honestly with us. I pray that God will being to reveal His great love for you and wash you and fill you full of that love. May you know to the depths of your soul how pleased He is with your open heart and listening ears. Be ready for Him to do a mighty work in your life!!

This name (The LORD our HEALER) has become so very personal and precious to me at this time. We often focus on Savior the wonderful name of Jesus as He saves us from our sins. We don’t as often focus on Healer or believe that He is the same as He ever was. We sing about it, we hope for it but we often don’t fully believe it. Yet if we were to think that way (with such doubt) about Savior, would that not be silly of us? I am so very thankful that He is who He says He is. That we can put our full weight on trusting Him in this way (just as we did for the salvation from our sin) and He will hold us up. He is worthy of our trust…I am growing in this and so thankful for His patience in teaching me.

Thank you for this devotional. It is great to learn more about the FULLness of who our MAGNIFICENT LORD is.

I am enjoying this study and it is keeping me in the Word more than I remember to do on my own. Thank you! The LOVE motif is lovely. I hope Heather will make it available as a postcard, or notecard so we can purchase.

Thank you, Wendy….for this whole study (not only this weeks) but for this week’s one as well. Actually the prayer that you put for us together in the beginning of this msg spoke quite a bit to me and the majority of it reflected what was on my mind and heart just the night before. So it was sooo neat to read it out in a composed prayer and really pray thru it with faith. Also, when I turned to see what the Memory Verse was, it was another nice surprise that it was already underlined in my Bible with a date next to it. I looove when God leads me to clear verses in times when I seek His physical or emotional healing for me, and I’ve started putting dates next to such verses when they were direct answers to concerns and petitions of my heart. It is great to come across them later and remember how God helped or spoke in those times…it does reinforce the faithfulness in me.
I look fwd to learning more about God the Healer thru your study. I am beyond happy that He chose to be our Healer as well, on top of all the other unbelievable qualities that He has. I am beyond thankful that we can come to Him directly and ask Him for healing and know that He can do it in a split moment if He chooses to, esp. when no one else in the world can do it.
I loved your video too. I am pretty sure I will be re-watching it several times in order for all the important pointers that you gave us to sink in permanently in my memory. Thank you!

I too LOVE when God is so clearly at work in what I am doing and studying. It especially touched my heart that He used the prayer He laid on my heart to put into words what was on your heart! That is sooo cool. And thank you for sharing about underlining, dating and leaving comments next to times in God’s Word when He speaks to us or answers prayer. They enable us to remember and TRUST the next time when He might seem silent.

Ok I have to give my testimonial of what happen today. i have never been close to God or His teachings, so this web bible study has really been a wonderful thing for me. I can honestly say I feel closer to the Father because of it. Ok the reason I felt I had to write today. This morning around 2 a.m. I was looking and filling out a job application. I have been trying to find work now for 2 years. This morning i started praying to God to hear what my heart was asking. I need a job but I want to be a blessing to someone else. So I got specific with what I want. While I was praying my phone rang but I didnt hear it. Once I finished my prayer and I gave it to God. I went to my phone to text my husband and realized I had a missed call from a number I do not know so I called it back. I went in for an interview today and I believe I got the job. No matter what I want to be where god needs me not where I want to be. I want to be a blessing to Him and I want to show someone is Amazing grace.
Thank you so much Wendy for all you have done.God please watch over you and continue to bless you.

I have a few questions but first I have to sing my Fathers praise, this job that I was trying to get has happen I am now employed to help care for the seniors in my area. Theses people are such a blessing and I am honored to be able to help them in their later years. I was not aware of it but I seem to have been caring for the elderly since I was a small child and I would go in to see my best friends great grandmother and help her put jig saw puzzles together. My questions are
1) when you talk about Jesus going in to the wilderness in both Matthew and Luke it says desert, not wilderness is there a difference for this reference? I understand a desert is different then what we see but how is a wilderness different?
2) Wendy are you planning on starting another bible study after this one that I may participate in? Thank you so much for helping me become closer to God by knowing His Names. God bless you and always keep you close. You asked “Oh, how I want to be a woman whose faith amazes God! What about you?” I pray for this daily. I want to hear my Father say this is my daughter, whom I love, and am well pleased. When I read that I just broke down in sobs praying to God to love me even when I forget to love myself.

April, as a Bible teacher, few things bless me more than to know the words we study and the thoughts I write lead you closer to the heart of God!! Thank you for sharing and CONGRATULATIONS on your new job. How blessed the people under your care will be to have a believing, praying woman caring for and encouraging them! May God bless and establish the work of your hands as you serve them in your giftedness.

As for your questions,

1) No, I don’t think there is a difference. It is the Desert of Judea (lies between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea) to be exact. But it was a place of wilderness…nothing was there…no food, no water, dry, lonely. I think the term difference depends on your translation. (NIV says desert and NLT says wilderness).

2)I do not have an on-line study scheduled at this time as I will be getting ready for my book coming out in March. We will be doing an on-line study with that book the end of March so please watch my web site so you can register for that. We would LOVE to have you!

As I worked through the part about Jesus’ temptation…I was encouraged. Jesus had just had what we might call a mountain top experience – baptized and hearing His Father tell Him He was pleased. (This was before He’d done any miracles.) And then He’s led into the wilderness to be tempted…talk about going from a high to a low. This all reminds me of what Anne Graham Lotz said, “We’d all prefer to stay on the mountain, but we must remember fruit grows in the valley.” Jesus is Jesus so God didn’t need this for His sake, but for ours. The example of Jesus coming out of the wilderness filled with the Holy Spirit’s power is one I need to remember.

Recently I experienced some temptation as I walked in obedience…I didn’t come close to battling it as well as Jesus did, but as I come out the other side I know God has worked in it and through it. It’s easy for me to be grateful for the “baptism like” moments, but this lesson has reminded me to be equally grateful for the walks through the wilderness and times of temptation. God works, speaks and molds in each of them.

My Uncle is currently dying from Leukemia. It is spreading fast and there is nothing the doctors can do. They say he will not make it to Christmas. My Uncle is leaving behind a great testimony because this is his 4th time dealing with cancer in 30 years. Thirty years ago they told him he only had a year and half to live. Just goes to show you that only Jehovah Rapha knows when our time is ending here on earth.

I prayed til’ I practically became numb about how my husband’s family distanced themselves from us 3 years ago due to different beliefs and childhood baggage. I think we gave up on God and figured it was “their turn to forgive and reconcile”… When finally, one night I really missed them and our kids missed their cousins. I completely surrendered the situation to HIM praying, “Lord, you know our desires but whatever you desire, your ultimate WILL be done.” A few days later, Brian’s dad went in the hospital. Organs shutting down. Emergency surgery. Two tumors they thought were cancerous. Brian was working in CA so drove up to OR to be with his family as not sure of outcome. The family, together, by his side praying for miraculous healing. The first praise was tumors were not cancerous BUT when they removed the epidural, it left Brian’s dad paralyzed waist down. It has been a rough 6 weeks now but by God’s grace, my husband and his siblings built a ramp and outfitted their parents house so his father can come home from rehab. When I asked my father-in-law how he truly was with everything and the relationships, he responded, “GOD PERFORMED A MIRACLE IN THE FAMILY THROUGH ALL OF THIS, WITH TEARS RUNNING DOWN HIS FACE!” Meanwhile, my nine year old daughter, who desperately has been missing her cousin for 3 years said, “Mommy, I’m not glad Papa is in a wheelchair now but I am glad it brought the family together again!” Now that, my friend, is God’s WILL & SOVEREIGNTY!!!!!!

Tava, what an amazing story of God’s sovereign hand at work in the lives of so many!! And how precious for your children to witness God at work and RECOGNIZE it!! What a praise. Thank you for sharing this lovely story of hope and healing.

Here is a copy of the text I sent to a friend the morning of December 4th, 2013:

God really wants to heal my heart! Jehovah Rapha, The God Who Heals Me!
So I was crying this morning bcs of heart pain (describe it as physical, spiritual & emotional pain) which is affecting me in every way. With all I’ve been through this past year—especially being physically assaulted by a Jesus hater, and being left with a broken heart —I have been crying out to God the past few months to heal me—to be honest I need healing from anger/bitterness I am harboring towards my enemies. Then just today Wendy Blight sends a Bible lesson and I sense God timed it for me to receive it just when He knew I needed it most—because He wants me healed. He wants me to let go of of the yucky stuff in my heart (anger/bitterness). So please pray for me and ask the Lord to do his work in and through me. My name is Joy and I do want to be back to being the JOY-filled person God designed me to be. I cannot let the lead Enemy of my enemies have a foot-hold! I pray for complete healing of my heart. Thx for prayers on my behalf, XO Joy

Joy, I am so thankful you shared your story. How wonderful that God knew the cry of your heart and used Bible Study and His Word to show you that He has heard you. Sweet friend, remember His promise that when you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him! So I am praying that in the midst of your seeking, He will return to you the JOY of your salvation and that you will sense His sweet presence in very real and personal ways. I pray you will KNOW the JOY of the LORD down to the depths and into the marrow of your bones!!

Two things stuck out to me during this week’s study that I just wanted to share. First, I really liked learning about how God used medicine to heal Hezekiah. I’ve heard stories in the news before about parents declining medication for their sick children and relying on miraculous healing alone and things like that, and I’ve always wondered what the bible really does say on that matter, and I feel without a doubt that God is saying that the use of a healing agent rather than a miracle is defiantly something that comes from him and that he approves. And secondly, the fact that Jesus, (JESUS!) was amazed by the centurion and his faith is nothing short of awesome. To know that I too, could amaze the God of this universe is hard for my brain to comprehend because a lot of the time I feel like I don’t even come close to amazing God!! But I know that it’s possible, and that is so neat.

Due to work schedules, the holiday, hosting family and friends, more work, and spending time with my hubby (whose a teacher and been off work for the last two weeks), I’m just getting to lesson four. It’s the first Sunday of the year and I missing church service due to the weather here in Metro Detroit.
I had to comment on the video ( it took me longer than 16 mins) to get through it because of all the notes I was taking. I had to post because of the last story about Frances. In 2012 … I had three other cousins who were all pregnant along with myself. By February 2013 we had welcomed five new baby girls into our family. Two of which were twins. The twins were a month and half early(but thank God there were no complications). The twins and my princess Elsie(just like the Borden cow from back in the day), were born on the same day December 20, 2012. Fast forward six months, Elsie is put in the hospital due to constant vomiting. She was a trooper but you could tell that she was in pain. The doctors ran all types of test but couldn’t pin point what was making her sick. They sent us home and within a week or so, she was doing it again. I know how Frances’ mom felt. Your baby just in pain and you can’t do anything to help. I remember while in the hospital, we were packing to leave and the nurse came in and said something along the fact of (well these are all the words I heard).. “not leaving yet, ” doc found .. on liver”, I will be back. I’m sure that’s not all she said but all I could do was say Jesus !!! I thank God for the peace that He gave me right at that very moment. So after we got home two three days would go by, Elsie is fine … the next three days Elsie was sick. After being a stay at home mom for just about three years at the end of August 2012, I’m going back to work. In October, I get a call from my husband, they are rushing Elsie to the hospital her face has swollen up. I get to the hospital and my 7 month old is unrecognizable to me. I’m praying, Lord heal my baby!! After being at the hospital for hours they allow us to go home. End of October early November, Elsie is sick again and now it’s like an everyday thing. I take her to children’s hospital of Detroit. They decide they want to send her to a gastro specialist. They had to put my baby to sleep and do a scope on her esophagus and come to find out she has esophagitis (allergies unknown on her esophaguas). Its hard watching her get sick but I’m hopeful and prayerful that God will turn things around for her. Out of her four other cousins she is still under 20lb even after just having her first birthday. The twins who were a month or so early are in like a 13 month and Elsie can still wear a 3-6 month or even a 6-9 month. I’m writing because I want to thank you for your prayer guidelines and I’m going to use them for healing over my princess. I’m going to be persistant in my prayers and trust that the Lord will answer them and that His Will, will be done of Lil Elsie’s body.

Thank you for just taking the time out to seek God for yourself and then presenting what He has revealed to you to us!!! You’re great !!! Be Blessed this New Years … now let me get back and catch up on this homework. !!!

Jessica, thank you for sharing your story with us. I join you in praying for Elsie’s complete and perfect healing. I pray the Lord, Jehovah Rapha God our Healer, will heal, soothe, calm and root out anything that is causing this reaction in and around her esophagus. Thanking Him in advance for all He will do in and through the prayers being prayed.

And praying strength and peace for you as you walk alongside your sweet girl.

Hello, I shared the above link with Wendy and she suggested that I post it here for you to see. This is an amazing testimony of the power of Jesus as Healer! A portion of Scripture that I found helpful is in Galatians 3 which speaks of receiving the same way that we received the gift of forgiveness of our sins, by hearing (reading and speaking) the Word of God and through faith/believing.

God’s shalom (completeness/wholeness;body soul and spirit) be yours and to all those you love!